


Run to the Water

by Diabolical_Pink_Bunny



Series: Stargate: Atlantis. Season 6 [7]
Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-11
Updated: 2014-12-10
Packaged: 2018-02-24 23:46:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 18,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2600777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diabolical_Pink_Bunny/pseuds/Diabolical_Pink_Bunny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The children looked on with large eyes in their shrunken skin. It had been such a long time since they had had enough to drink and food was as scarce as water.  Normally SGA-1 would sympathize, but sympathize with the knowledge that afterwards they could safely go home to Atlantis. Unfortunately this time there seemed to be no way back, as the stargate would not shut down. And on Atlantis, the open gate was using up all the power of the new ZPM's - which wouldn't have been such a problem if the city wasn't once more on the ocean floor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Have you ever seen the music video for Live's 'Run to the Water?' Both the name of the story and the basic concept was inspired by it. I've loved that video for years, but only now have I found a world where the true horror of it could be explored.

Dawn broke grey and warm. Thirst beat at him and with futile hope in his heart he pushed up off the bed and padded over to the water stand on bare feet. The jug on it was old and chipped and faded. Once it had been a lovely heirloom with vibrant flowers painted on the side. Time and too much use had stripped it of its brilliancy: much as time had stripped the land of its fertility.

He tipped the jug over the bowl and for a long minute he stood; hopefully waiting that even a drop would fall.

"Daddy," the thready voice of his seven year old daughter came from the other side of the small room. With a silent sigh he put the jug back on the stand and padded over to where she lay on the straw-filled pallet near the wall at the back of the small room they called home.

"What is it, poppy?" he asked as he knelt beside her. Softly he touched her dull hair and with an effort he kept the tears from his eyes: crying would waste too much precious water. But the sight of his daughter nearly broke his heart. Too little water and illness had wasted her away to a mere skeleton lying frailly beneath the threadbare blanket.

"Daddy, I'm thirsty," she complained softly; needlessly. Thirst was the reason for all their sorrow.

"I know, poppy," he silently told her. "Will you be okay if I left for a short while?" he asked her, but she was already fading into unconsciousness. If she did not get water soon, she will die.

When he was sure she was asleep, he went to his bed and got the small booklet from under the mattress. The booklet wasn't much larger than the palm of his hand, yet the booklet of cheap paper had become the most precious commodity in the land. Every family had one and without it there would be no water rations given to the people. He flipped open the cover, but as he had known it would be, the booklet was empty. His daughter's illness had cost them double rations for nearly a week, and though he had tried his best to give her as much of his share as well, in the end she was still thirsty; still dying.

He sighed as he tucked the empty booklet in his shirt pocket. Without water his daughter will die. But then again, their whole world was dying. Without water it, too, will soon die.


	2. Chapter 1

Rodney muttered to himself as he shuffled wearily and blurry-eyed through the dimly-lit hallways of Atlantis. On the stairway he stood a moment with his eyes closed; resting his head against the wall and hoping not to fall asleep on the way down. With a huge sigh he finally continued on his slow journey to what had become known as the midnight-mess.

Nearly a month had passed since the Atlanteans had discovered they were heading towards a huge baby-boom and by now most of the women were either into their third month, or getting there fast. And, to all the men's chagrin, the cravings had started: hence the midnight-mess. Rodney suspected the women were in silent competition on who could convince their man the most frequently to bring back something ridiculous from the mess – and always well into the wee hours of the morning. After the cooks had been roused a number of times to help these desperate men, they had gone on a day-long strike. After much pleading, though, the midnight-mess had been born and the cooks now laid out a strange and varied buffet every night before retiring.

Rodney finally shuffled through the doors of the mess-hall, only to find he was not the only one that had been sent on an errand. At the big buffet table John stood frowning. As Rodney shuffled over, he thought something looked odd about the military commander of Atlantis, and it was only as he shuffled into place next to his friend that he realised John wasn't wearing a shirt. But he was wearing long pyjama pants with smiley-faces on them.

"Nice 'jamas," Rodney half-heartedly told him. John only glared at the scientist, and after giving him an once-over turned back to the table and muttered in reply:

"Nice slippers." Rodney looked down at the absurd slippers he was wearing. Though he had taken the time to put on his soft, masculine blue robe, he had not been able to find his own slippers. So he had stuffed his feet into Sitnalta's fluffy pink bunny slippers.

"Thanks," he muttered without rancour as he started to assemble the peculiar snack Sitnalta had insisted on having  _right now_. John was still frowning, though. "Whazzit?" Rodney muttered.

John frowned even more. "Elizabeth wants a cheese-curl and yogurt sandwich," he explained his dilemma, but Rodney wasn't following as to why that was a problem. Instead he only handed John the tub of yogurt at his, Rodney's, elbow. "Oh, thanks," John muttered as his problem had been solved. At three in the morning nobody was too awake.

Rodney finally turned to leave, leaving John to finish his yogurt sandwich on his own. As he exited the mess-hall, though, he passed Carson as he entered the mess-hall. He looked as wasted as Rodney felt. The two men ignored one another: the midnight-mess might have become something of an institution, but it wasn't a very social one.

Blearily Rodney continued to the rooms he and Sitnalta shared. On the way he bumped his big toe once and saw another dark figure heading in the opposite direction, but finally he reached his quarters. With a slow wipe of his hand he opened the door. He walked over to the bed, crawled into it and finally leaned over to proudly present Sitnalta with the snack she had asked for. It took him a moment, though, to realise she was fast asleep and dead to the world. Owlishly he blinked at her before remembering that somewhere in the snack a brownie lurked. So with a shrug he sat back against the wall and tucked into the midnight snack with relish. There was no use in wasting good food: even if the brownie was slathered in mayonnaise.

#####

The next morning found SGA-1 sitting around the briefing-table in the big conference room. John looked half asleep as he sat slumped in his seat at one end of the table and Rodney  _was_  actually asleep on his arms at the other end. Between them sat Teyla and a grinning Ronon.

Just then Elizabeth walked in and Ronon poked Rodney in the ribs.

"Wha...?" Rodney asked with bleary eyes. Then he seemed to realise where he was and quickly wiped the thin trail of drool from the corner of his mouth. "I was just resting my eyes," he tried to explain as he pulled his tablet closer.

"Your 'resting' sounded a lot like snoring," Teyla calmly informed him from the other side of Ronon. The big man grinned, but Elizabeth frowned at the scientist.

"Will you be all right to go on this mission?" she asked him.

"No, but I don't really have a choice, now do I?" he informed her. "Look, everything would be a lot better when these cravings...ooomph!" he abruptly ended his speech when Ronon's foot connected with his shin. He looked over at Ronon, but both he and Teyla were giving Rodney big eyes. "You kicked me!" Rodney exclaimed and Teyla bent her head with a sigh. "What?" he asked. "I'm just saying...ooomph!" This time he merely glared at Ronon and bent down to rub his burning leg.

Elizabeth sat down in the seat across from the team and looked down at her own tablet. "The reason doctor McKay will be needed on this mission," she began with a slight grin, "is because we have discovered a brief notation in the files concerning the planet you're heading to." She looked up at her flag-team. "Unfortunately the file had been corrupted and the only recoverable part seemed to indicate there is some considerately advanced technology on the planet," she finished the explanation.

"And naturally I will have to figure out if we can use the technology," Rodney smirked. His heart wasn't in it, though.

"Actually, yes," Elizabeth grinned and Rodney suspected she was well aware why he was tired – and enjoying it. She leaned slightly forward. "There is still so much we don't know about out there," she passionately told them. "We know the Ancients did not do all of their research here, and if there is anything out there that we can use in our fight against the Wraith, then we need to find it." She looked at them as they looked back. After a moment John sat up in his chair and remarked:

"Well, let's get to it," he spoke for his team. Everyone got up and started filing out of the room. As Rodney passed Elizabeth, though, she stepped in front of him and frowned at him.

"Are you sure you're okay to go on this mission?" she asked. She might be enjoying the whole situation with the midnight-mess, Rodney reflected, but she would not knowingly put her people in danger.

Rodney considered the question as seriously as she had asked it. Then he slapped his tablet onto his back and grinned at her. "Hey, this will probably just be another wild goose chase like the last two missions," he informed her. "And there's nothing wrong that a cup of coffee won't fix," he added. Elizabeth nodded.

"Very well," she said and smiled faintly. "Go get one and tell the cook to pack you one for the road as well," she told him and he grinned. Some people had to travel the world to find their home: Rodney had had to travel to another galaxy to find his.

With a slight nod at Elizabeth, Rodney turned in search of the mess-hall. He reckoned he had time to grab a brownie as well: last night's mayonnaise covered one had not done the job of satisfying him.

#####

Rodney was the last to pass through the stargate, and as he strode down the small ramp it was mounted on, he already heard the sound of it deactivating in his head. He grinned as he reached the bottom and took another sip of coffee.

John glared at him. "You know, when my wife told you to grab a cup for the road, I was sure she had meant for it to be in a nice, silver flask," he informed his friend.

Rodney shrugged. "Yeah, well. This seemed simpler," he told John. Rodney still found it a strange idea that the roguish John Sheppard was married. Only a week ago John and Elizabeth had been married in a lovely ceremony that had been an amalgamation of earth, Athosian and Satedan traditions. Keras had informed them marriage wasn't something that had been in use on their planet, so all the kids had been extremely fascinated by the ceremony. It had been held on the pier (which was becoming known as the assembly pier) with all of the inhabitants of Lantea turning out for the event. In fact, Rodney was sure at one time he had even recognised Sam the whale swimming by in salute.

It was only as Rodney finished his coffee that he realised something was wrong. Slowly he turned around and looked at the still-active gate. For a moment he stared at it before numbly dropping his cup on the stone floor of the room they had stepped into as they had stepped through the gate.

"Oh, no," he softly said as he rushed over to the DHD. Quickly he ducked beneath the consol.

"What is it?" John demanded, but for now Rodney ignored him as he checked something. As his suspicions were confirmed he slowly got up behind the DHD and looked at the rest of his team.

"Oh, no," he repeated – only louder this time.

"Rodney, if I have to ask you one more..."

"The control crystals are gone," Rodney interrupted John. The reality of it struck home. "We're stuck on this planet," he informed them just as the doors across from the gate burst open. "That can't be good," Rodney muttered.


	3. Chapter 2

The doors burst open to reveal half a dozen armed men rushing into the room. Their clothes resembled those of the Genii and for a moment John thought they had stumbled onto a Genii-controlled planet. But as they fanned out around the Atlantis team, he realised their weapons were not of Genii make. In fact, it resembled the small weapons John had seen being used by the crew of the  _Aurora_.

"Now look, I wasn't touching anything," Rodney defended himself as he put his hands in the air. John, Ronon and Teyla still had their own weapons trained at the new arrivals, but John had to admit the odds weren't good. If these people weren't friends, then there was nothing he or his team would be able to do about it.

But John wasn't ready yet to lay down his arms. Carefully he sighted along the barrel at the one that he thought might be in charge. The man was dressed more lavishly than the rest and he was obviously older than the rest of the troops.

"Look," John began. "We have no desire to fight you guys," he tried to explain to them. "In fact, we only arrived here and we don't even know who you are," he added with a wry smile. Somehow it seemed that whenever he and his team stepped through the gate, someone – or  _something_  – was waiting on the other side with malevolent intentions. What happened to the nice days when they went through the gate and met nice people, like Chaya. At the thought John winced. Okay, perhaps that was not the best destination to wish for, considering. He was, after all, happily married now. And now, in hindsight, he realised that his preoccupation with the Ancient woman had hurt Elizabeth even back then. Damn, why can't these insights not come at times when he was in the position to do something about it?

The guy in charge did not seem to fall for John's attempt at an explanation. Instead he scowled even more and gripped his weapon even firmer. "You have disturbed the sanctity of the chromulus," he snarled. John frowned and nearly looked back at the gate. The 'chromulus?'

"I've heard the gate called by many names, but never the 'chromulus.'" Ronon spoke aloud the thought uppermost in John's mind. But before either John or Ronon – or even Rodney (and that said a lot about the mentality of the people) – could question the commander of the group, the inhabitants of the planet opened fire. The familiar tingle and darkness of a stun-weapon engulfed John and he unwillingly passed into oblivion.

#####

"We're going to have to find more P-90's," John gave voice to the first thought that ran through his mind as he woke from the stun blast. His whole body ached as he tried to sit up on the cold, hard floor. When he looked around it did not surprise him to find he and his team were locked in a room with bars at the one end.

To his left Rodney muttered something and John turned his aching head in that direction. "What?" he grumbled. It was usually best to have Rodney get whatever was bothering him off his chest.

"I said," Rodney grumbled, "that what I'm going to need if this keeps up, is some new pants." And though John had no wish to hear the rest of Rodney's complaint, the scientist indulged them anyway. "They've ripped a tear in my last pair of BDU's about the size of my fist," he complained.

"Have Sitnalta fix it," Ronon grumbled to John's right. The big man and Teyla had ended up in a heap in one corner and were busy detangling themselves. Teyla looked slightly uncomfortable.

Rodney snorted. "Sitnalta has many fine qualities," he answered, "but she can't sew."

"I am rather proficient at sewing," Teyla piped up, but when all three of the men glared at her, she added: "but I would not dream of touching Rodney's pants." At that Ronon snickered and John managed a slight grin. Only Rodney seemed unimpressed.

"Well, perhaps if the lot of you can contain your mirth, we might find a way out of this cell," he loftily told them.

"Nah," Ronon replied even as John was trying to stand up without falling over from dizziness. "I've already checked. This is a very well-made cell," he explained. John finally managed to stand up against the wall without embarrassingly falling over and he secretly envied Ronon's apparent immunity to stun weapons. He supposed it had something to do with the frequency with which the big man had been stunned over the years.

As John took a tentative step towards the bars, another thought occurred to him. Only moments ago he had witnessed Ronon and Teyla heaped together on the floor. But if Ronon had already checked out the cell even before the rest of them had awoken...

With a slight frown John looked over at the big man. He saw Teyla giving Ronon the same look and John surmised the same thought had occurred to her. Only Rodney seemed oblivious.

John turned his attention back to the cell door. Ronon was correct: it was a well-built cell. Often the cells they were dumped in were nothing more than a crude iron railing set within a stone wall. But this was quite obviously related to their own holding cell on Atlantis. As John reached out his one finger, he discovered it even had the same energy field than the one on Atlantis.

"That was very smart," Rodney ironically told him. John scowled from where he had landed on his back from the jolt of the energy field.

"I did tell you," Ronon reminded him as well and John gingerly sat up. Sometimes he wondered if he wasn't getting too old for this kind of thing.

Just then they heard a crash somewhere to their right. The next moment a man as big as Ronon appeared at their door. In fact, not only did he have Ronon's size, he also had a similar tattoo on his neck.

"Draven," Ronon greeted the guest at their door. The new Satedan grinned roguishly at the gathered group.

"When I heard they had captured a group of strangers coming through the ring, I would never have guessed it would be the fearsome Ronon Dex," he told his fellow Satedan. Well, ex-Satedan. Ronon was now officially an Atlantean.

"Yeah, well, even the best of us cannot compete with a stunner," Ronon grinned at the other man, yet John thought he detected an undercurrent of anger in his friend.

Draven returned the look Ronon was giving him, and suddenly something John had heard a while back clicked into place. "You're Draven Navac, leader of the Forty," he stated more than asked. Draven turned his head to look at John.

"You've heard of us?" he demanded. John nodded slightly.

"A little fellow told us to find you," he replied. The Satedan frowned at that.

"You are John Sheppard?" the Satedan asked. He didn't seem too happy about it. John wondered if there wasn't some bad blood between Ronon and Draven. That might explain why the new man seemed hostile.

"These are my brothers in arms," Ronon told Draven with a proud tilt to his head. John knew that look: it never boded well. Draven shifted his gaze back to Ronon, but within seconds he looked away and instead looked at Rodney.

"You are the scientist, Rodney McKay?" Draven asked and Rodney looked slightly pale.

"Yes," he carefully answered. "What of it?"

"You can get us off of this forsaken planet," the Satedan answered. Rodney looked confused.

"Well, yes, getting off of this planet has always been right there at the top of things to do," he replied; some of his fire returning. "Right after breaking out of this cell."

Draven grinned, as did Ronon. "Well, I think I can help you with that," he answered. He looked to his left and nodded at someone unseen. The next moment the energy field was disengaged and the door opened. "Welcome to Sheab," he told them. "You are now officially part of the Sheaban resistance," he added with a flourish. Then he and Ronon embraced briefly; stiffly and Rodney muttered low enough that probably only John heard it:

"If that Noxin had been mistaken about this man, I'm going to kick his ass!"


	4. Chapter 3

With slow, despondent steps he made his way to the long line in front of the government offices. The faces of those waiting for their daily ration of water were as empty of hope as his own. Yet, even though there was little reason left to live, nobody was willing to succumb to death. It amazed him that so many – including himself – still desperately clung to life. Perhaps when his daughter finally died he would seek out his own end.

The hours crawled by and finally he reached the front of the queue. With little hope he held out his empty booklet to the official. He tried to explain his situation to the man, but within moments the man handed him the booklet and told him to leave. No matter what the story, they would not give more water than that allotted each person a day. He tried to plead with the official, but two others with batons stepped forward. Obviously deciding it was time to get rid of him, they beat him until he could imagine his entire body was bruised. Then they picked him up under his arms and threw him into the dirty, dusty street.


	5. Chapter 4

Elizabeth kept her eyes on the gate, but turned her body towards Chuck sitting behind the dialling consol.

"Why hasn't the gate deactivated yet?" she worriedly asked, still looking at the cool blue puddle of the gate through which SGA-1 had disappeared almost five minutes ago. For the gate to still be active could not bode well.

For a moment she could hear Chuck busy at the controls of his station and when the sound of fiddling finally stopped she could almost hear his confusion. "I'm not sure," he finally replied. It was the answer she had been dreading. Though Atlantis now had three new and operating ZPM's, she still constantly worried about power consumption. It seems to have been such an integral part of her life for so long that she could hardly believe they had enough energy to go around.

"Okay," she slowly replied. "I suppose that whatever is keeping the gate open cannot do so more than thirty-eight minutes?" She looked at Chuck as she spoke, but the blue light of the stargate seemed to pull at her. She looked at Chuck and he shrugged.

"I suppose so," he told her. Elizabeth nodded, but also touched her earpiece.

"Sitnalta, Radek, can you come to the control room?" she asked into the small microphone. Since Miko had managed to isolate the individual earpieces on different frequencies, Elizabeth at least did not have to worry about the wrong people intercepting a communication. By simply speaking the name of the person she needed, the devices only opened the frequency of that individual earpiece – much like a voice-activated speed dial on a phone.

Within minutes both scientists rushed into the blue-lighted control room.

"Oh, dear," Radek said as he entered the room and saw the activated stargate. Trust the ex-Czech to instantly see to the heart of the problem. He turned towards Elizabeth. "How long has that been open?" he asked. Elizabeth looked over at Chuck who would have a precise time.

"Five minutes and three seconds," the technician replied. Then he tapped at a crystal control. "The source of the problem is most definitely coming from the planet," he informed them. Elizabeth nodded and turned towards the two scientists.

"See if you can get it shut down," she told them. They nodded and because she knew they worked better when she was not hovering, she left them to go to her office. It was only a short distance from the control room, but that small space she offered them was important.

It was about half an anxious hour later that the small beep of the gate informed her it was thirty-eight minutes after the gate has first been activated. According to gate physics, it would now disengage. So she got up to go see for herself what the two scientists made of the strange phenomenon.

Unfortunately, when she looked up, she saw the cool blue of the gate through her window. It was not shutting down as she had assumed it would. Worried now, she rushed to the control room where Radek and the gate staff were frantically busy at the gate controls. Sitnalta was sitting at a station; her eyes closed.

"Report!" she snapped as she came near enough to be heard above the bustle.

A ruffled Radek looked up at her voice. She hated it when the man looked that way: it always spelled trouble.

She was correct. "It won't shut down," he needlessly informed her. She narrowed her eyes as she thought about it.

"But the reason it won't shut down is because of something off-world?" she asked.

Radek nodded, but still he looked stressed. "Yes"

"But gate physics dictate the gate should shut down after thirty-eight minutes," she tried getting to the bottom of things.

"Yes," Radek once more said. Then he sighed as he seemed to realise he could not hide the problem anymore. "The SGC once had the same problem," he started his explanation. "Then a black hole supplied enough energy to keep the gate open beyond the usual time."

"So something is supplying the gate with enormous power from the other side?" she prodded. Radek pushed his glasses back up onto his nose.

"That's the problem," he replied. "Something over there is keeping the gate open, but we are still supplying the energy," he finally dropped the bomb.

Elizabeth felt dread drop like a cold stone upon her heart. "How much energy is the gate using?" she quietly asked her second scientist.

Sitnalta must have heard the question, for the young woman lifted her hand from the crystal controls and jumped up, turning towards Elizabeth. Her string of beads rattled slightly. "The longer the gate stays open, the bigger the drain on the ZPM's," she hurriedly told Elizabeth as she started to cross the control room.

Elizabeth thought her explanation did not warrant the fearful expression in both the blonde girl and Radek's eyes. "Yes, obviously, but..." she started.

By now Sitnalta had passed her by and was on the stairs leading to the lower levels. The girl stopped and looked at Elizabeth with her huge eyes. "You don't understand," she spoke. "The drain is exponential. The longer the gate stays open beyond when it should, the bigger the drain becomes per second. Though something else is keeping the gate open, we are the ones supplying the immense amount of power to do so!"

Sitnalta continued her journey down the stairs the moment she stopped talking and Elizabeth had no choice but to pursue her on her way.

"Can we shut it down from this side?" she asked the younger woman as the two of them bounded down the stairs and started to rush down a corridor. Sitnalta merely shook her head as she continued her journey.

"Not that I can see," she informed the leader of Atlantis. "But I'm heading towards the hologram-room to see if there is anything Atlantis can do about it," she supplied half an explanation.

Elizabeth frowned as she kept on following the blonde. Once before they had used the chair to link Sitnalta to Atlantis, seeing as the chair was the biggest single interface with the city. But why the woman would prefer the hologram-room – a room that they hardly ever used – was a mystery.

The two women entered the hologram-room together in a rush. Elizabeth put out a hand and slowly touched Sitnalta's arm, making the woman turn towards her. "Why here?" she asked her friend.

Sitnalta smiled faintly. "The chair is a control, this is a communications interface," she explained, but Elizabeth was not sure she understood completely.

"I'm not sure I follow," she voiced her thoughts. In answer to her question, Sitnalta hopped onto the slightly raised platform and, reaching out and taking her friend's hand, pulled Elizabeth after her. Still holding on to her hand, Sitnalta briefly closed her eyes. Moments later the lights seemed to dim slightly, but only for a heartbeat. When it came back on, Sitnalta opened her eyes and looked at Elizabeth – who had been watching her. The blonde smiled and nodded at something behind Elizabeth.

Anxious to see what Sitnalta was looking at, Elizabeth spun around. Behind her stood...she. Since the day they had all become Atlanteans, Elizabeth had taken to wearing dresses resembling those of the Ancients – although she did not limit her colours to cream and white. Today she was wearing a deep red.

The other Elizabeth, on the other hand, was wearing a cream dress – one that looked vaguely familiar. Also, there was something strangely different to the other Elizabeth's appearance. Ever since the nanites had been introduced to her system, Elizabeth had had a hard time keeping her hair short. In fact, it had become such an annoyance that she had given up the fight and was wearing it much longer than she would have preferred. Even pulled into a braid, it hung halfway down her back. The other Elizabeth's hair, on the other hand, was as short as she remembered her own being years ago, when she had tried keeping it in a fashionable style for her diplomatic work.

Elizabeth turned her head towards Sitnalta, angling her a look she knew was effective in getting others to talk. Sitnalta smiled faintly. Elizabeth noticed her grip on her hand did not slacken, though.

"This room was used in recording information holographically onto Atlantis' memory. But it can also display that same images," the younger woman began her explanation. "I find that, whereas the chair is more a control of Atlantis, this works better for communication," she finally explained her coming here.

Elizabeth looked determinately at the other she, then back at Sitnalta and lifted a single eyebrow. Sitnalta sighed.

"You're doing it again," she told Elizabeth and the leader of Atlantis smiled. Sitnalta used her free hand to indicate the other Elizabeth. "That is a representation of how Atlantis sees herself," she said.

"As me?" Elizabeth asked incredulously. The other Elizabeth – Atlantis – had not moved since appearing, and she now found it slightly unsettling.

Sitnalta nodded slightly. "She feels some...solidarity with you," the blonde explained. Then she tilted her head slightly to one side. "Atlantis is an AI – an artificial intelligence. But not an Asimov, Skynet or even Roddenberry kind of AI. Though aware of a part of herself being separate and able to learn and understand, Atlantis at all times remain a huge city, and the AI is that of a city." Sitnalta rubbed her eyes with her free hand. "This is very difficult to explain," she said with an apologetic look at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth smiled. "That's okay. But why are we here?" she asked, realising understanding Atlantis was not the priority.

"My daughter was wondering whether I could assist in deactivating the stargate," the representation of Atlantis finally spoke. Both women looked at the hologram.

"Can you?" Elizabeth finally asked. She suddenly had a feeling she knew how the Becketts must have felt when first meeting each other.

Atlantis looked at them, silent and unmoving. After a few seconds the hologram became animated as she replied. "I am not certain," she slowly answered in Elizabeth's voice. "My daughter," the hologram said, addressing Sitnalta, "return to the control room in order to assist me."

Sitnalta nodded and closed her eyes, still not letting go of Elizabeth's hand. After a while she opened her eyes, looking confused. Deliberately she pulled her hand from Elizabeth's, but nothing seemed to happen. The representation of Atlantis was still standing there, looking at them through still eyes.

"Something's wrong," Sitnalta worriedly told Elizabeth. "I can't seem to detangle our minds from our interface with Atlantis," she said. "We're stuck."


	6. Chapter 5

As leader of her people and as member of SGA-1, Teyla had been to many worlds. Many of those worlds had been poor and dirty; living in fear of the Wraith. Yet never had she been to a world as pathetic as this. Even in her mind Teyla hesitated to call any world by such a name, yet as they traversed the dirty, narrow streets she saw a desperation in the eyes of those they passed that convinced her she was not wrong. All her life she had believed that she should not judge any world, and thinking of this world as pathetic was a judgement she felt was unworthy of her and her people; be they Athosian or Atlantean. Unfortunately, no matter how she searched her mind, she could find no other word to describe that which she saw.

Draven Navac and his three friends – one other Satedan and two Sheab – led them on a circuitous route through narrow, filthy streets. The people they passed were just as dirty and their faces were all marked by poverty and malnutrition. Once they saw men dressed in black uniforms and black visors ahead of them in the street, and Draven had quickly and efficiently steered them to a side street in order to avoid those people. Though covered from head to toe, it had been obvious those men had not been suffering from the same poverty as the rest of the people. It had also been obvious that they were the ones carrying weapons.

Passing through another dark street, Teyla took a moment to look up at the sky. Greasy clouds that bore no sign of rain hung low overhead, blocking out the hot sun.

"Teyla?" she heard a familiar deep voice call her, and she turned her attention to Ronon. He was standing only a few steps ahead of her, waiting for her. She smiled at him, but within moments the smile failed as dirty child fell on the ground between her and Ronon.

"Please, ma'am," the child begged from where he kneeled on the ground. "Do you have a drop of water to spare?"

Teyla looked at Ronon, who was looking at her, and saw the same bewilderment in his eyes. She looked down at the child.

"Do you not have water?" she asked him, but before she could get any answer from him, Draven appeared on the scene.

"Leave the child," he told her. She glared at the Satedan, considering her answer.

"What's going on?" John interrupted the tense group. By this time the child had fled into the gloom of one of the shacks lining the streets. Teyla turned towards her team leader.

"Draven would not allow me to give water to a child," she calmly told him. John looked at the leader of the group that had freed them.

Whereas Ronon carried his size like that of a protector, someone that made you feel safe, Draven carried his size like someone on the edge of malevolence. Teyla had to admit that when she had first met Ronon, he, too, had been angry. But even then she had seen that though he was strong, he would not harm the innocent. Draven, on the other hand, made something in Teyla feel unsettled. When he had come on the scene moments ago, she had had the urge to step between him and the child. Now Draven turned to look at John, towering above the shorter man.

"If the patrol finds any unauthorised water on the child, they will kill him," he calmly told John, and though Teyla was not sure what the big man meant, she understood he had been thinking of the safety of the child. Her suspicion of him now seemed unfair and petty, yet she could not shake the feeling that she should not trust him.

"Then it was my mistake," she apologised. She noticed that Ronon had inched closer to her and was now somehow between her and Draven – the same way she had wanted to insert herself between Draven and the child.

The leader of the Forty shrugged. "When we have reached the safety of the shelter, I will explain all," he promised.

Teyla could see John was not very happy with the Satedan's answer, but for once he did not push or make any strange comments – something for which Teyla was immensely thankful. But he was their leader, and with good reason. He looked at Teyla with his chin slightly tucked in.

"You good?" he simply asked her. She merely nodded, aware that should she speak now, she might say something that would ruin the tentative peace. At her nod he shot a sidelong glance at Draven. "Good. Then let's go," he told the two of them.

As they continued down the street – which was more of an alley anyway – Teyla and Ronon fell slightly behind the main group. Aware that something was going on between Draven and Ronon, she decided to use the opportunity to ask him about it.

"You know Draven?" she asked the big warrior beside her. He did not look at her, but then again, neither had she looked at him. They were both warriors who felt the need to continually scan their surroundings. Neither one could be anything less.

"He was Malena's brother," he told Teyla. For a while she continued in silence; thinking on what he had said.

"You and Malena were never married," she gently prodded. It seemed to her Ronon stiffened even more beside her.

"No," he curtly replied. She was already forming the next question in her mind when he surprised het by speaking again: "He never approved of me. He did not want his sister to have anything to do with a warrior."

Again silence fell between them, but this time Teyla knew she had not intruded onto something Ronon did not want to share. Knowing him – and she did – he probably did not know how to explain the intricacies of his relationship with Draven.

This time she stole a glance in his direction. "Do you feel you owe him loyalty?" she wanted to know.

It took a moment for the man to answer, but when he did, he looked at her and smiled slightly. "Not anymore," he replied. "But we need him to find the Forty," he explained his actions. Teyla smiled in return, knowing that whatever had hurt him in the past was no longer hurtful.

The group finally reached a small, peeling door. Draven knocked twice and moments later the door squeaked open. A man dressed in rags ushered them inside; looking furtively from right to left.

The room they entered was not much bigger on the inside than it had appeared from the outside. Yet at least a dozen people were gathered inside. Their group brought that number up to nearly twenty people.

"Welcome to the Resistance," Draven greeted them. He looked impressed.

Slowly, carefully Teyla looked around the mottled group. Except for Rodney's torn pants, the Atlanteans were definitely the best dressed and best fed. Then there were seven – Draven included – that were obviously Satedan. They were not as thin as the rest of the people, but they were showing the same signs of hunger that the Sheabans were showing.

"What happened here?' she finally asked; incredulous. The tattered people in the tattered room was enough to make her believe she had not been incorrect in deeming the planet to be pathetic. They were hungry, tired and scared-looking. Yet this group had something those on the streets did not have: a look of desperate hope and anger.

Draven turned towards Teyla and for once she wished she were just a few centimetres taller, as he towered above her. "About a year ago my group joined with the survivors of Heran Telkin's group," he told her, indicating the other six Satedans. He then turned to include the rest of the Atlanteans. "We came here, hoping to find temporary shelter. But at our arrival the guardians of the chromulus arrested us."

"Then they do not visit other planets?" Rodney piped up. He looked the way Teyla felt.

It was one of the ragged Sheabans that answered Rodney, though. "The chromulus is not the device that brought you here, but the sacred shrine in which it stands," he explained.

John pulled that face of his that let everyone know he could not believe what he was hearing. "The stargate is a sacred relic?" he demanded. The native nodded.

"The device that brought you here is ons of two sacred objects left by the Ancestors for us to guard until their return," he added. "And though you are not the Ancestors, we," he said, opening his arms to take in the Sheabans gathered around him, "believe the Ancestors sent you here to restore the balance of this planet."

Though the room was packed, John seemed to think it important that the Sheabans not overhear whatever it is he needed to know. "Excuse me for a minute," he said to the Sheab, holding one finger aloft. He then turned his back on them, creating a small private space. Teyla decided to move a little closer as well, needing to hear whatever it was they were discussing. She kept her body turned towards the room, though.

"They think you are some kind of saviours?" he quietly demanded. Teyla could hear the idea did not sit well with him.

"Look, it has not rained on this planet in years," the Satedan leader explained. "There is nothing we can do about it, though. But your scientist can fix the stargate and get us off this planet."

Teyla leaned back slightly so that the Sheab could not hear her. "We cannot simply leave this people to die!"

"And what would you have us do?" Draven asked. "Every drop is rationed carefully and the patrols make sure nobody gets more than their share."

"Can't we relocate them somewhere?" John asked. "It just feels – wrong – to leave them like this."

"I agree," Teyla added. "If they stay here they will die."

But even as she spoke, Draven shook his head. "These people will not leave what they consider their sacred duty: to protect the chromulus." He looked at the two of them. "No, gentlemen, there is nothing we can do for them," he added with cold finality.


	7. Chapter 6

He looked down at his daughter and saw death in her face. Though she still breathed, death was only a heartbeat away. Without water he doubted if she would survive the day.

Carefully he touched her face, brushing a strand of dull hair away. Too often these days he contemplated death: not as something to be averted, but as something to be sought. This life was just too painful. And yet he knew that he could not sit idly by and watch his only child die. This world had already taken his beloved wife from him, he will not let it take his child without a fight. He will fight for her life until the last breath in his body was taken from him. No matter what it cost him, he will find water.

Slowly he leaned over and kissed her cool forehead. Then he got up and put on his tattered coat. Even in this parched world there had to be some water he could find. Without looking back he left his home and child; knowing he will not return if he could not bring her the water she so needed to live.


	8. Chapter 7

_We've found them_ , Carson's thick Scottish accent interrupted Radek where he was busy with his calculations. Only a few minutes ago he had asked Carson to take a security detail and help find Elizabeth and Sitnalta: after they had left in a hurry he had not been able to get them on the comm again.

"Where are they?" he asked after he had tapped his earpiece. If Carson was the one talking to him, chances were the two women were somehow incapacitated.

 _They are in that holographic room we hardly use_ , Carson replied.  _They are just standing here, unresponsive_ , the doctor confirmed Radek's worst fears.  _Hang on, I'll try and wake them._

The scene of Sitnalta sitting lost in thought at a console flashed through Radek's mind. "No!" he nearly screamed at the doctor on the other end of the line. "Don't touch them," he added with more control.

 _What's the matter?_  Carson asked with obvious bewilderment. Radek shook his head. He knew there was no way to explain to Carson why he knew he should not touch the two women. He had seen Sitnalta talk to Atlantis this way before, and suspected this was what the women were doing – although how Sitnalta had dragged Elizabeth in was a mystery. And if this is what they were doing, then Carson would be interfering with something very delicate. Sitnalta had once asked Radek not to interrupt her when she was communicating with Atlantis that way and he suspected that to remove them now would do them some harm. 

_Kertu!_

"Just...trust me, okay?" Radek finally answered Carson. He broke the contact by touching his earpiece once again. Then he sighed and got up. He was going to need some help.

#####

Two minutes later Radek stood eyeing Jeannie with trepidation. As her pregnancy was the most advanced of the lot, she had been the first to show. And by now it was quite obvious that the woman was pregnant. It was this fact that was making Radek feel so unsettled. Though his own Anne was pregnant and he was about to become a father, his lover had not started showing yet and he had not had to deal with the situation – yet. Children confused and frightened him: little bundles of tiny hands and big needs. He was not equipped to deal with them and when he had started dating Anne he had supposed she felt the same way as he did. She was, after all, a career marine and had willingly chosen to come to the Pegasus galaxy on that first mission that could easily have meant she would not see earth ever again. Only recently had he discovered she loved kids and had come here with the knowledge that perhaps all of them would have to repopulate the city. When he had volunteered the thought had not evened crossed his mind. Instead he had seen it as the perfect opportunity to get away from his dear but demanding family that had been nagging at him to produce children. And now he was to be a father. Worse: as the doctors had been keeping a close watch on the progress of all the women, they had recently told him and Anne that they were expecting twins. Furthermore: Anne had been hinting  _strongly_  that she expected to be married before the birth of the kids. Seeing as all the children were expected within the next five to seven months – and Anne's within five and a half – Radek knew he had to start giving some thought to marrying Anne.

Now he stood in front of another pregnant woman and he had no idea how to ask her for help. Though she was obviously as smart as Rodney, she had been happily helping Anna – the babysitter-girl – and two of the older girls from M7G-677 setting up a nursery for when the babies would eventually arrive. But now he desperately needed her help.

"Um..." he began and knew it was not a very good start. In return the blonde gave him a look that could just as easily have come from Rodney. Immediately Radek felt a wave of relief washing over him. Though Jeannie was younger than Rodney and much, much prettier, they looked much alike and there was something very  _McKay_  about her that he found comforting. He might not know how to talk to a pregnant Jeannie, but he knew how to handle an exasperated McKay.

"Atlantis is losing power. Now, I know you are not part of the science team on Atlantis, but I need your help," he calmly told her now that he was no longer focussing on her rounded belly.

"You're right, I'm not," she told him. "Wouldn't my brother or Sitnalta know more about the energy of Atlantis than I would?" she asked him as she arranged a few stuffed animals in a crib.

"That's the thing," he replied. "Rodney is stuck on some planet and Sitnalta is...um...stuck inside Atlantis," he quickly finished the last part of his sentence while touching his earlobe. He felt foolish giving that explanation even though he knew it was correct.

After a few moments' silence he looked up at Jeannie – who had not spoken since. He dropped his hand to his side when he saw her frown. "Look, she has some way of communicating with the city that takes her mind somewhere inside it. Now she – and Doctor Weir," he quickly added, "are stuck like that."

Jeannie frowned even more. "So when you say 'stuck inside Atlantis you mean..." she started with a vague gesture of her hands. Radek made a motion much like stuffing a cat into a bag.

"They're actually stuck inside the mind of Atlantis," he completed her sentence. She was proving to be as difficult as Rodney, with the exception that she had the nasty habit of trying to mother him. Even now, as he played with his ear again, she reached out – seemingly instinctively – and removed his hand.

She tilted her head at him. "Wouldn't your team know better how to solve the problem than me? I don't know the systems as well as you do," she asked as she fiddled with the stuffed animals a final time.

Radek shook his head slightly. Ideally he would have liked to play with his earlobe again, but he knew she would just remove his hand. So instead he wrung his hands together. "They are all good at doing the daily maintenance, but I need someone with the same kind of brilliance that Rodney has. I need someone who can solve this problem within..." he looked at his watch and did a quick calculation. "Forty-three minutes," he told her. She looked askance at him.

"Why forty-three minutes?" she asked and he knew it would not take much more convincing to get her help.

"Well, closer to forty-two minutes, now," he added for good measure. "Because after that the last ZPM will start failing and we will lose the shields," he explained.

Suddenly Jeannie looked angry. "What did my idiot brother do now?" she demanded, but she was already heading out the door. Radek ran after her.

"SGA-1 went through the gate, but now it won't shut down," he explained as they ran towards the nearest transporter. "I don't think Rodney is to blame, though," he quickly added. Rodney had the habit of getting into trouble more than he should, but he knew the one thing the scientist would never do is intentionally endanger the city. Not only would he not risk the lives of all of those in the city that way, it was also his home. Also, Sitnalta would quite probably die if the city was destroyed, and Rodney would never  _ever_  risk her life that way. He was far too much in love with her.

"How long before the first ZPM gives out," Jeannie asked the moment they re-materialised just outside the control-room. She now seemed more worried than angry and he realised her earlier anger had been her way of dealing with her fear. Not only was her daughter here in the city, but she would also be thinking of her unborn child. Or was that children? Many of the women were expecting twins.

"Radek!" Jeannie's voice cut through his wandering thoughts.

"Oh," he returned to the matter at hand. "Um..." he muttered as he looked at his watch.  "Eighteen minutes," he replied almost helplessly. He looked over at the activated gate and knew that with both Rodney and Sitnalta gone, he was now in charge of getting that stargate shut down. In fact, Lorne was off-world at the moment as well, leaving him as the ranking  _anything_. And somehow Radek knew that no matter what, he was not about to let everyone on Atlantis down.


	9. Chapter 8

John would be the first to admit that this plan was badly thought out and had very little chance of succeeding. But he also knew that they had very little choice and even less time. Even now, as they were making their way through the dirty, gloomy alleys that constituted a city on this world, he could hear Rodney's worried voice in his head.

Shortly after they had reached the dubious safety of the rebels' safe house, another scruffy-looking rebel had burst into the room. After a few moments’ quiet conversation with the Satedan leader, Draven and the man had turned towards the group of Atlanteans. The big Satedan smiled at them.

"It seems the Ministry has proclaimed you enemies of the state," Draven informed them.

John grimaced. "That sounds unpleasant," he had remarked.

Draven grinned even more and somehow John had known that whatever the big man had been told, it was not very good news. "It seems that the Ministry is unhappy at you for damaging the chromulus," he told them.

John did not like the sound of that. Neither, it seemed, did the rest of his team. "If the Ministry would return the control crystals, I am sure the stargate would once more work as it should," Teyla piped up. She had that worried look on her face John dreaded.

"I doubt that," Draven remarked. "It seems whatever you did to it, the stargate," he said, using their word, "will not shut down."

It was Rodney who had first recovered his wits at the news. "That's impossible. Are you sure it is still active?" he quickly asked; looking grim. But then again, Rodney usually looked grim.

The scruffy newcomer nodded. "I passed the chromulus only a minute ago. I could see the blue light coming from the Ancestors' Ring reflecting off the ceiling inside," he confirmed.

Okay, so something was wrong with the stargate. But before John could suggest any course of action, Rodney leaned over so that only SGA-1 could hear him.

"The only way for the gate to stay open beyond the thirty-eight minutes, is if it had some immense source of power keeping it open," he told them seriously. At first John could not see what it was – beyond the obvious defect in the gate – that was worrying Rodney.

"Yes, so we..." he began. But Rodney interrupted him with that sneer John hated: the one that informed John he was an idiot and Rodney was not.

"You don't understand," the scientist snapped. "Do you see this community having any power sources like that?" he sneered. Before anyone could answer, though, he waved a hand to silence any remarks. "Don't answer. The point is," and he looked each of them in the eye for a moment as if he could transfer the importance of what he was about to tell them through that stare. "The only source of power, that can supply the gate with enough power to stay open beyond the thirty-eight minutes, is Atlantis."

Though not the genius Rodney was, John instantly knew they needed to shut the gate down immediately. Atlantis could not afford to lose even a single ZPM at this moment – not with the city sunk beneath the ocean. Though they now had the ability to make their own ZPM's, it took a few weeks to grow the crystal: weeks they would never have if the shields failed.

"How much time do they have?" he asked his friend, referring to Atlantis.

"Well, that depends on..." Rodney began, but John was too worried to let him finish.

"Just your best guess," he told the man. Rodney did not even look hurt at the interruption.

"I would estimate less than forty-five minutes before the shields fail," he had informed the small group of Atlanteans.

Thus they had set out on this half-baked mission to retrieve the crystals and break into the chromulus to shut the gate down.

As they were nearing the Ministry buildings, a sudden, violent tremor shook the ground. Seeing as most of the buildings were little more than shaky shacks to begin with, the alley around them had become a minefield of falling debris and shifting shelters. Their group, which consisted – much to John's dismay and over his objections – of the entire rebel force, now scattered as they tried to avoid being crushed, trampled or cut off from the rest of the group. Their numbers, which had moments ago been sufficient to ensure they had the right of way through the alleys, now became their hindrance. With all of them crammed together in the alley, they had nowhere to go and so ended up milling together like sheep.

By the time the tremor had subsided, SGA-1 and the Satedans had managed to form a circle around the natives, their weapons ready. A falling piece of wall had cut John's arm and he could feel the warmth of the blood seeping down to his wrist. Next to him Rodney was helping one of the Satedens from under what appeared to be a zinc sheet that had served as a roof moments ago. Teyla and Ronon were crouched on his other side, their borrowed rifles pointed down the alley.

"John, look," Rodney suddenly spoke up. Turning to face whatever it was that the scientists were looking at, John found that the small contingent of Sheaban rebels were crouched together in pathetic attempt at finding shelter. Some of them were wailing and others were openly crying.

"Draven," John called as he watched the pathetic group. As he quickly looked around at the rest of the people in the alley, it appeared that most, if not all, of the Sheab were acting the same way. Apparently the tremor had shaken them more than it should have. "What's wrong with these people?" he demanded from the Satedan man, hoping he would have a better understanding after having spent some time on this planet.

"I'm not sure," Draven replied. Stealing a look at the large man, John discerned he was as confused as the Atlanteans were.

But already Teyla was dealing with the matter. The woman now crouched next to the only female member of the Sheaban resistance. Very carefully she removed the wailing woman's hands from her face and looked into her tearful eyes. "What is it?" she asked of her. "Why are you so afraid?"

The woman seemed ready to resume her wail of anguish, but then her eyes focussed on Teyla's. "The Ancients are punishing us!" she cried.

Teyla once more took hold of the other woman's hands and held them tightly. "You think the tremor was caused by the Ancients?" she worriedly asked. The woman nodded vigorously.

"First they sent the brown clouds that would not bring rain and now they are trying to tear the earth apart!" she desperately explained. John could see a frown cross over Teyla's face.

"You are not used to tremors?" she carefully asked. The woman merely looked blankly at the golden warrior. "This world has never experienced the earth shaking like that before?" she tried again. The terrified woman shook her head.

"No," she replied. "The priests told us that as long as we looked after the chromulus, we would experience perfect weather." For a moment her eyes darted towards John before looking at Teyla again and explaining. "About five years ago the rains started becoming irregular. Then it suddenly stopped." She looked around the broken alley. "Our world was once beautiful. But as water became scarce everyone started to come to the city – we had no choice."

John looked around him at the temporary shelters that crowded in around him. Behind many of them he could see the towering shadows of larger, permanent buildings. The woman's words explained so much, he realised. As the people gathered in the city for water, housing became scarcer and scarcer until finally people started putting up shelters wherever they were in order to stay close to where the water was being doled out.

"Wait!" Rodney suddenly piped up from beside John. He seemed unhurt by the tremor, but the Satedan he had helped limped over to his own team. Without bothering to explain, Rodney typed at his tablet. Idly John wondered how Rodney's tablet could store the massive amounts of information the scientist seem to have crammed onto the memory board and still work at the speeds Rodney required of it. He had a suspicion the inside of the machine only resembled earth technology in  passing. Just because the box it had come in had said that you shouldn't open the casing in an attempt to upgrade the tablet, does not mean Rodney hadn't improved it since he had been issued with it years ago.

With large eyes Rodney now turned the tablet over for John and the rest of SGA-1 – as well as a number of the Satedans – to see the picture open on it. "Is this the other object stored within the chromulus?" Rodney fearfully asked.

"Yes," Draven spoke up. John agreed: it was an image of the same device they had seen in the large room before being arrested.

"Seems like it," he added. But he narrowed his eyes in an attempt to read more of the file open on Rodney's tablet. In the moment before Rodney turned it back around to continue fiddling with it, John had time to recognize not only the prominent heading marking it as field report, but also the distinctive emblem of the SGC. "Let me guess, one of the SG teams on earth found something like it?" John asked. He had spoken in a slightly sarcastic tone, but he felt far from sarcastic. Instead the look on Rodney's face had him slightly terrified. He had seen it a few times before and knew Rodney saved it for times when they were really in deep...trouble.

"SG-1 once retrieved this device from earth after it had been stolen from its original planet," Rodney said with wide eyes and this mouth pulled down slightly at the corners. "It is used to terraform planets," he continued. "Without it this world will revert to the state it had been in before the terraformation. John," he looked at John and the leader of SGA-1's heart sank. "This device would have the power to keep the gate open as long as Atlantis has energy to supply to the gate. If we don't fix it soon, both worlds will perish."

It took John only a moment to consider their options. Suddenly their mission to find the crystal controls seemed even more important than ever. Not only one world depended on them new, but two.

"Damn," he finally managed. He looked at his team. He looked at the Satedans. "You are sure you know where the crystals are kept?" he once more asked Draven. The big Satedan glowered at him.

"I have seen such as you described," he loftily replied. The lofty answer was enough for John. He nodded.

"Very well, let's go rob the Ministry," he told them. He looked at the fearful Sheab. By now they had regained some of their courage and most looked ready to follow – if not confidently, then at least bravely.

Once more the group set off down the alley. Only this time they were more careful, more aware of their surroundings. Every footstep suddenly seemed filled with danger. Though the rest of the group was used to tremors, the Sheaban fear seemed to somehow transmit to the rest of them. Besides, if Rodney was correct, the tremors were more than just regular earthquakes. They might mean the end of a world.

Unfortunately John suspected Rodney was correct. All the signs seemed to point to just such a device somehow intersecting with the wormhole. It would also explain the sudden acceleration of the planetary regression.

As they neared the Ministry buildings, the frequency of patrols dressed in black increased measurably. Yet, this once, they did not seem to take any notice of the group of rebels. Instead they were busy keeping frightened locals from looting and rioting. John suspected many people will die that day.

"I wish there were something we could do for these people," Ronon voiced the thought uppermost in John's mind. As leader of SGA-1 and second in command of Atlantis, John did not have the luxury anymore to fall into gloomy thoughts. So he merely nodded at his friend.

"We are doing something for these people," he stoically told Ronon. He might not believe it was enough, but there was nothing else they could do.

Finally they approached the large building housing the Ministry. It seemed to be the only place in the city that had kept its doorstep free of squatters. But the dark clouds had taken its toll on the once lofty building, smearing it with dust and soot. The big building looked like a beggar dressed in rags.

As the group was much too large to sneak into the building, John told the Sheab and the second group of Satedans to stay outside and guard the perimeter. In fact, he had managed to convince Draven to leave his Satedans outside with them. Only the leader would be accompanying SGA-1.

The five stealthily made their way to the back of the series of buildings. Though it had been frightening, the earthquake had actually worked in their favour. Everyone was out front trying to calm the growing mob. Even the men Draven pointed out as Ministry were out on a balcony, telling the people the tremor had been nothing to worry about.

The building they were heading for was very badly protected and they only had to knock out two guards to get in.  Unfortunately, just as they entered the building, another tremor shook the earth. Very courageously Rodney stood beneath an arch, hoping the strength of the arch would keep him from getting hurt. But the Sheaban people had built a very shoddy arch and it collapsed around Rodney. Only because of his quick reactions did Draven manage to save the scientist from serious harm.

"Who builds an arch like that?" Rodney complained as they made their way among wailing and sobbing people. Stealth was no longer necessary, as everybody seemed to be occupied by the tremor.

"If this world has never before experienced tremors..." Teyla began, her eyes worried.

"...and this is the second tremor in an hour..." Ronon continued.

"...then we have very little time left," John finished the sentence. "I think we'd better hurry."

"You know, the effect of the artefact keeping the gate open could have exponentially accelerated the collapse of this world," Rodney remarked as they hurried along a faded corridor that had a large part of the ceiling littering the floor.

"As I said: we'd better hurry," John repeated.

By now the group have worked their way to the front of the building. They’ve met a number of people, but none of them had challenged them.

"In there," Draven suddenly said, pointing at a fancy, but faded, door to one side. Quickly they hurried through it, encountering nobody. Their luck did not hold, though, as a fat man sat behind an ornate desk inside the room. Though he was dressed fancily to fit with the opulence of the room, the riches of it was more the memory of it than real riches and the man stood out starkly against the faded and dirty room. He seemed as out of place as a butterfly in a pigsty. At their entrance he rose from his plush chair.

"What do you want?" he demanded. Obviously not interested in a conversation, Ronon sprinted over the carpet at the man. Before he could respond, Ronon was sliding across the large desk. In what appeared to be the continuation of the same move, the warrior hit the fat man on the side of the head. With a delicate sigh from his large body, the fat man slumped back in his seat; unconscious.

"Here are the crystals," Rodney spoke from behind John. He was standing in front of a glass display case, looking at the three missing crystals delicately arranged on a velvet pillow. "Help me look for the key," he continued as it turned out the doors were locked. Even now the scientist was looking wildly about, perhaps hoping the key would not be hidden, but conveniently placed nearby for him to use.

Aware of how little time they had left, John merely used the butt of his weapon and smashed in the glass. "Or that can work," Rodney shrugged as he picked the crystals from the shards now littering the velvet.

With their trophy in hand, the five retraced their steps to the back of the building. Once more they met with no resistance. Relieved, they rushed out into the perpetual gloom of the world. Outside Heran Telkin greeted them, looking very worried.

"The troops have captured the rebels," he reported to Draven. "As they were rounding up the crowd, the troops somehow managed to surround our group. We of Sateda managed to escape, but the Sheab were still too shaken by the tremor to resist."

"Look, not to be the cynic, but their lives hardly matter now," Rodney piped up as the group fell silent. "If we don't get the gate shut down, all of us will die."

John knew Rodney was correct, even if he was indeed the cynic. He nodded at the people around him. "Rodney is correct. Let's go."


	10. Chapter 9

The man knew about the rebels. Everyone did. But nobody spoke of them. In their world it was the last secret that was worth keeping: the secret of men and women willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to free their world. It was the one thing that gave the population hope.

But the man had long since realised it to be nothing more than empty hope. What would it prove to overthrow the Ministry? Water would still be scarce and people would still die. He was honest enough to know that, though it did not always seem fair from the dirt of their community, the Ministry was doing its best. In fact, without it the people would probably have long since squandered the last water.

At the end of his hope, he now neared the building rumoured to be the hideout of the rebels. The building was as dirty and drab as the rest of the city – as far as hope went, it did not offer any just by looking at it. And, if what the other rumours spoke of were true, it will not offer hope on the inside.

Finally he knocked on the dark wooden door. As he did, small flecks of stone and mortar fell from the wall around the door. The earth tremors must have damaged the old building and for a moment he wondered why he’d even come here. Even if he could beg some water from them today, where would the water of tomorrow come from? And why beg water when the entire world was shaking itself apart?

A man with dark eyes and a dirty beard opened the door with a scowl.

"What do you want?" he demanded. Though they might be rebels fighting for the people, it had been rumoured they had little time for the problems of the people.

Looking as pathetic as he could – which was not difficult – he bowed his head as he spoke: "Please, sir, my daughter is dying. Please, could you spare me a drop of water? Please?" he added for good measure.

The dark eyed man glared at him in mute scrutiny for a moment. Finally, obviously deciding he could not be bothered with the pleas for water, he laughed out loud, throwing his head back as he did so. After a few moments his merriment abruptly ended and he once more scowled at the man begging for the life of his daughter.

"We have no water. What do you think we are fighting for?" he sneered. As he slammed the door shut, he shot a final parting shot: "Go beg from someone who can help you."

With the slamming of the door more pieces of mortar and stone fell down around him in mockery of the rain this planet had not seen in years and yearned for every day. Dejectedly he turned around and slowly made his way back towards his house, intending to at least be with his child when she finally died. And then he will die.

The sound of booted feet momentarily pulled him from his stupor. Familiar with the way the Ministry troops acted, he carefully stood aside to let the men pass. It was only as they drew level with him that his eyes fell on the boots of the men passing. Though the boots were obviously made for comfortable walking and protection, they were of foreign design. Slowly he raised his eyes to look who it was that was sharing the alley with him.

A few of the men he knew: they were the men that had come here a while back and now mostly led the resistance. But added to the group were four others he did not know. One was dressed similar to the Satedans that had joined the rebels. But the other three were different. For a start, they all wore similar outfits – a uniform of some kind, he surmised. As they passed one of the men's eyes met his. In the shadows of the alley he couldn’t see what colour they were, but he could see the anger smouldering in them. In that instant he realised this was a man that would never stop fighting for what he believed in.

And then the group had passed and he found himself strangely alone in the alley. Looking up at the dark, dirty clouds that never brought rain, he came to a decision. Like the man he had just seen, he, too, would not give in for as long as his daughter still drew breath.


	11. Chapter 10

Radek came to the conclusion that he did not envy Evan his relationship with Jeannie in the least. No, not one bit. Not at all. In fact, he suddenly had great respect for the man for falling for her. Radek felt had enough trouble with working with Rodney that he had no idea how anyone could willingly engage in a relationship with the female version of the scientist.

And the worst part was that he knew – he just  _knew_ – that should he do something to upset Jeannie, he will get it later from Anne. In her pregnancy his lover had gotten the odd notion in her head that she shared some sacred bond with the rest of the pregnant population of Atlantis. Sometimes it seemed to Radek as if he was bumping into a pregnant female wherever he turned.

"You have no idea what that would do to Elizabeth and Sitnalta," Jeannie hotly told him. When she had come to Atlantis a few years back, to help Rodney with the inter-dimensional bridge, he had been oddly charmed by the lovely woman. But now she considered Radek as much family as she did Rodney, it seemed. It also seemed she considered it fair to talk to Radek the same way she usually did to her brother. Which meant she and Radek had been arguing for half an hour now.

Throwing his hands in the air for effect, he told her exactly how he felt about her in Czech. It lasted a while, as he had a lot to say. And all the while she merely stared at him with those calm blue eyes that were in fact not like Rodney's at all. Behind her eyes a calm lurked even in the midst of her ire.

When he finally finished telling her how mad she made him, she merely tilted her head to one side. "Feeling better?" she calmly asked.

Radek nearly exploded with indignation. "No, I do not," he snapped back. "We have less than ten minutes to shut the gate down before the first ZPM blows and you are standing here arguing with me!"

She glared at him. "I merely pointed out to you that an overload might do irreparable harm to Elizabeth and Sitnalta."

He raked his fingers through his hair, wishing he did not feel so helpless. He was aware that part of the reason he and Jeannie were fighting, was because both of them were worried about those they loved. Taking it out on each other relieved some of the pressure, but it did not take the feeling of helplessness away. He shook his head.

"I know," he finally said, defeated. "But within a few minutes we are going to have to make a decision between the lives of two women and that of the entire city."

"Unless we can figure out how to get Elizabeth and Sitnalta disengaged from Atlantis," she pointed out. For a few moments they stood staring mutely at one another, wondering how to do the impossible.

Finally Radek sighed. "Okay, let's go over the situation once more," he said as he turned back to the screen displaying the city's energy grid. "If Atlantis was on the surface, we could have simply manually disengaged the ZPM's," he began.

"But we have no idea how that would affect the women linked with the city," Jeannie added. "And of course, we can't shut down the system as we need the shields."

"Yes." Radek replied. "And we can't isolate the stargate from the system either," he continued. "Whatever is keeping the gate open from that side prevents us from just cutting the power to the gate."

Mutely they stared at the screen. Radek knew that the answer was just out of reach, they just didn't have enough time. From the start that had been the problem: not enough time.

"We can isolate the systems powering the shields and the hologram room..."

"...but we still have to pull the ZPM's, so it doesn't help us," Jeannie finished much like her brother. "And we don't have any naqada generators lying around..." she added.

"...just to power the shields and hologram room," Radek added. They both frowned at the screen again.

"Besides, the generators had never been strong enough to power the shields," Jeannie added. "If only we had a power source separate from the ZPM's."

Once more their conversation had come full circle without offering any ideas.

Radek frowned as he tried to work through the problem. "But what if we did shut down the entire city for a moment," he slowly asked, the thought unformed as of yet.

"Even a split second of lost power would have the sea crushing us," Jeannie replied. "Not to mention what it would do to Elizabeth and Sitnalta," she angrily added. Radek held up his hand and slightly wriggled his index finger as he spoke.

"I know. Believe me, I know," he said, his eyes widening as he thought about it. "I'm trying to think about what we can do, not about what we can't do," he tried to explain.

"Okay..." Jeannie slowly replied. "Shutting down the city would solve our problem with the gate. But it will cause the city to flood."

Radek nodded. "Yes. So what would be the solution to the city flooding?"

They frowned at the screen. Then Jeannie leaned over and called up a number of programs, spreading them so they lay next to one another on the screen. "What if we didn't shut down the entire city," she excitedly began. "What if we just shut down the gate?"

Radek frowned at her. "I thought we already decided that cannot be done," he replied. "The system simply won't respond."

Jeannie smiled. "Not from here. But what if we overloaded the gate itself?" He frowned and she pointed at a menu. "In the gate-room. If we overloaded the gate itself..."

"...then it might cause a surge that will sever the link from the other side," he happily continued her sentence. "All we need to do is first isolate the hologram room and the shields," he added, already typing. "We can't have the surge overloading either of those systems."

"What if we wrote a secondary program that kicks in the moment the overload starts at the gate? Could we isolate the gate itself?" Jeannie added as she also started to type.

#####

Altogether eleven of them stood in the hall of the building known as the 'chromulus.' In near stunned silence they regarded the two artefacts contained within. One, the most prominent one, was the stargate itself. To their left, thus to the right side of the stargate, another, much smaller, artefact stood on an elaborate pedestal. Though the building had few windows, the entire inside was lit with the cool blue light from the stargate. Between the two artefacts a thin sparkly line of energy travelled, looking like nothing more than fireflies. Or, as John regarded it, those little bugs that they had found on the planet with the ancient Wraith.

"Okay, so how didn't we see that before?" he now asked nobody in particular, but expecting Rodney to answer none the less. Quite obviously that energy discharge was the reason why the stargate had not disengaged yet.

"How should I know?" Rodney answered as expected. But he was also tapping at his tablet, searching for the elusive answer. Familiar with his way of doing things, the rest of the team patiently – for now – waited for the answer. And, as expected, Rodney looked up with slight wonder on his face. "It's increasing," he cryptically remarked.

Though SGA-1 knew Rodney would explain that statement in due time, and patiently waited, the Satedan leader of the Forty was not as used to the idiosyncrasies of the Atlantean scientist.

"Explain," Draven barked, making Rodney jump. The latter turned to give Draven a black look, but almost immediately turned back to his team.

"The energy drained from the stargate is growing," he worriedly started on his explanation. "When we first came here, the energy would not have been visible to the naked eye. But by now it had increased dramatically."

"Would that not mean that we have even less time to stop this than we had thought at first?" Teyla carefully asked, her eyes never leaving the stream of flickering light. John was constantly amazed at how quickly she could cut to the heart of a problem.

Rodney looked up at her, his eyes wide with worry. "Yes," he slowly, slightly sneeringly remarked. John and the team ignored the tone as by now they had learned it was nothing more than a way for the man to cope with the reality of yet another crisis. Sometimes it seemed to John their lives were lived from one crisis to the next.

At that, for a moment, his thoughts travelled back to the man they had seen near the rebel building. He had been like any other native: scrawny and ragged. But as he had momentarily met the man's eyes, the desperation in them had stood out.

Rodney brought John out of his momentary reverie. Holding up a finger in explanation, he smiled slightly; ruefully. "That would explain the sudden increase in earthquakes," he suddenly exclaimed.

Almost on cue, another earthquake suddenly shook the earth. This time the force of the tremor was enough to throw them off their feet. John felt the floor heave beneath him and the next moment the same floor was rushing up to meet him. Years of training took over and he neatly turned his body into the fall, connecting with the floor but not suffering any damage. The moment he felt the floor beneath his shoulders, he rolled and in one smooth movement regained his feet. As it turned out, just in time. As soon as he was back on his feet, another tremor shook the ground and a large part of the roof landed where he been only moments before. Nimbly he danced aside, avoiding the worst of the falling debris. The weapon he had been given by the rebels got knocked out of his hands, though. Right at that moment he did not really care.

The earlier tremors had lasted only a few seconds, but, just as Rodney had predicted, the tremors were coming much closer together and much more violent. John felt as if he just barely missed being crushed by one piece of debris flung by the tremor, only to be bombarded by the next batch. It felt like an eternity that the earth shook, although he suspected it lasted only about twenty seconds. Although, as such things went, twenty seconds of shaking earth was quite a long time for the earth to be moving.

Just as he thought the earth had finally ceased its trembling, a final, vicious tremor nearly threw him off his feet once more. As he stumbled about, he suddenly felt another person falling against him. Looking back he saw Teyla had been thrown up against him and was just as desperately fighting to keep upright.

Finally the earth stopped moving, but with a loud and almost lazy rumble the entire front wall of the building toppled over into the street. The chromulus was now without roof and without front wall. In fact, the wall neatly toppled over, leaving a ramp of broken bricks leading up to the stargate and the infamous weather device. Whatever they planned to do would now be done without the protection of a wall hiding them from the view of the Ministry patrols.


	12. Chapter 11

Desperation is the mother of desperate acts and finally he had reached that point where he had to act out of that desperation. Not that he acted hastily; not exactly. Even a desperate man could take a moment to consider his options. It was common knowledge that, though the rich and affluent made the attempt of staying within the prescribed water rations, they had little problem finding extra water when needed. Even in his world money could buy you what you needed.

And he desperately needed water.

In an attempt not to act rashly, he had spent a few minutes crouched in a corner outside the large house, watching. The affluent citizens seldom wandered the street, instead sending those who worked for them to fetch the water allotted the household. These workers usually went in small groups. The reason for this was not so much for protection as that one man or woman could not possibly carry the amount of water on their own. Secure in the knowledge that the Ministry patrols protected them, these people took few precautions when fetching the water. Instead these workers would strut cockily through the streets with their loads of water, proud to be entrusted with such precious cargo. And true, on the roads leading to and from the big houses there were quite a number of alert troops.

But now, the prize of a single flask of water stolen from one of these groups under his arm, he found that even that small amount of prudence had not been enough to ensure his speedy and safe getaway. As he ran through the narrow streets, his old shoes hardly any help to protect his feet from the rough debris littering the alleys, he could hear the heavy boots of the patrol right behind him. He knew that should he not be able to lose them within the next few minutes, he would not have the energy to evade them. As it was his breath was coming fast and hard and his heart was pounding painfully in his chest. Yet he knew that, should he be caught, it would mean not only his death, but also the death of his daughter.

And this he could not let happen. Desperately he thought he knew of a place where he could lose the patrol steadily gaining on him.


	13. Chapter 12

The moment Radek started on the calculations they needed to adjust the program, in order to buffer Elizabeth and Sitnalta from the feedback that the overload on the gate will cause, he already knew they did not have enough time. They had less than three minutes left in order to not only write the required program, but they also needed to physically go to the hologram room and gate room in order to execute it. Though the lab was close to both those sites, it would still take a minute to reach them. That left only a minute to write the program and a few seconds to load it. Radek knew they did not have the time.

Okay, they might have a few extra minutes, as that deadline only marked the depletion of the first ZPM, but they could hardly afford to lose a single unit.

His fingers flew over the keypad while he fervently wished they had enough time for what needed to be done. Suddenly, almost of its own volition, the open screen started to fill with the code he was already working on. Yet now it appeared even before he could type – and many times faster. In fact, the code passed by so quickly he could hardly read it.

"What?" he asked the same instant he heard a shout from Jeannie, who stood next to him.

"Radek!" she yelled. Being the type of man he was, he did not even think about it, but slid over to look at what was bothering the woman. His mind was on automatic and he now merely reacted to what was happening around him.

The window Jeannie had had open had been eclipsed by another window. On it a simple message was displayed:  _Go shoot the gate – we'll handle the rest._

"What does that mean?" Jeannie asked, her lips pressed together in agitation. For a moment Radek stared at the screen, but then the answer seemed to bloom in his mind.

"Sitnalta!" he yelled. Promptly he pushed Jeannie away from the terminal and started typing at her computer.

"Of course!" Jeannie said as she also grabbed her tablet. Another message appeared on the screen where Radek was communicating with Sitnalta. What the two scientists had realised in that  moment, was that all information programmed into Atlantis' systems would be available to Sitnalta – if she so wished. Though she and Elizabeth could not disengage from the system, they were still able to use it.

Another second Radek typed at the station; making sure they were all working to the same end. Then he rushed after Jeannie, who was disappearing down the corridor at a surprising speed considering her condition.

At the stairway the two of them split up: Radek heading for the gate room and Jeannie heading for the hologram room. While they had been running, they had alerted some of the rest of the Atlanteans to the plan unfolding at blinding speed. If everyone did as they were supposed to, they would have disconnected the stargate before the first ZPM died.

As Radek literally skidded into the gate room, he saw Chuck was already waiting for him, along with Anne and her team. Without another word his lover handed him one of the large Wraith stunners they had stashed in a closet just off the gate room. The six of them – Radek, Chuck and Anne's team – fanned out in front of the gate, aiming the stunners.

 _One minute,_  Doctor Miko Kusanagi, the shy scientist who had been with the expedition since the beginning, informed them. Radek felt the tension in his belly like a burning rock. Years on Atlantis had taught him how to keep his calm in most of the situations they found themselves in. He had even learned to face certain death with calm. But it did not mean he did not feel the burning knot in his belly every time they stood on the brink of a disaster.

 _Fifty seconds_ , the slightly accented voice continued the countdown. Radek did not need the reminder, though. One of his talents was the ability to always know exactly what time it was – and how much time they had left in any situation. This inner clock had served him well in the past, but right now he wished he was not able to mentally see the seconds pass by at seeming blinding speed.

 _Forty seconds,_ she continued and Radek knew their time was up. But just then his earpiece crackled once more and Jeannie's voice cut off that of the other scientist:

 _We're ready_ , she simply informed those in the gate room. Immediately the six of them opened fire on the gate, their aim spread out to cover the whole gate. The stunners could shoot a sustained beam for a few seconds at a time, but if their calculations were correct, they would need only those seconds to overload the system and shut the gate down.

As it turned out, their calculations concerning the amount of power needed to overload the gate systems were correct. What they had been in error of was how far they should stand back from the gate in order to not be caught in the blast radius. With a loud crash and the sound of a million sparks the gate system overloaded and blew out: effectively disconnecting the gate from their power source. The moment the system blew, the gate shut off the event horison with an intense force that blew like tornado into the room. The six shooters found themselves on their backs after having flown through the air halfway across the gate room.

Anne was one of the first to recover and she immediately got up and started helping Radek up as well. His ears were still ringing from the blast and he could feel his balance was not too good. But worry over Atlantis and the two women caught in the system spurned him on. On extremely wobbly legs he mounted the staircase to the control room. Behind him he saw Chuck scurry up the stairs as well.

Gratefully, the scientist flopped down in a chair and started typing at the console. That they were still alive meant they had successfully shielded the rest of the city from the worst of the blast – if the blast had somehow knocked the ZPM's out they would have been drowning in tons of ocean by now – yet he had no idea how many systems might have been damaged. Belatedly he remembered Elizabeth and Sitnalta. He tapped his earpiece while still working at the console.

"Radek to Jeannie," he began. "Are they all right?" While he had run to the gate room, she had been on her way to the hologram room. Both Becketts would have met her there – in fact, it had been on them they had been waiting before they could shoot the stargate.

His earpiece crackled more than usual, but Jeannie's voice was still recognizable:

 _Yes, they're fine,_  she replied.  _A little stiff from standing like statues this past half an hour, but they’re okay._

Radek did not even bother replying. Though the city and the two women were fine, they now needed to get the stargate up and running once more. And, with the measures they had taken to disable it, this meant a lot of rewiring.

Radek had been down by the gate for only a few minutes before Sitnalta and Jeannie silently joined him. As she knelt beside him, Sitnalta quickly kissed his cheek.

"Thank you," she softly said before turning and starting on her own section in the process of getting the stargate back online.

#####

As SGA-1 and the Satedans stood guarding Rodney, where he was working at fixing both the stargate as well as the weather device, John reflected that it was surprising that none of them had suffered serious injury when the roof had come down. He supposed the reason for this was that the roof had come down in small pieces at a time. The tiles themselves had not been very stable, but the beams had held and now closed overhead like spiders' feet.

And yet they had not come away from it without injury either. John's shoulder still ached from the first earthquake, especially after he had landed on it during that tremor that had thrown them to the ground. A few of Ronon's dreads had been pulled from his head at one time and he bled rather profusely from the jagged wound it had left. Though still upright, he seemed slightly woozy and John wondered how long he could stay standing. Teyla had a long cut on her leg, but they had bound it and she seemed all right. One of the Satedans had a broken leg and one John guessed had a dislocated shoulder. Fortunately the rest of them only suffered from minor cuts and bruises. Even the Sateden's leg was a clean cut and had already been splinted.

John now stood next to Rodney as the scientist explained the situation. He had just inserted the crystals, but had not tried dialling the gate.

"I first need to figure out what's wrong with that weather device," he solemnly explained. "It hardly helps the stargate had finally shut down and then we dial it and it intersects once more with the weather device. We'll just be right back where we started."

John frowned slightly as he thought about something. "You didn't deactivate the stargate?" he carefully asked, afraid of where his questions might lead.

"No, we were dancing around getting hit by roof tiles at the time," Rodney snidely remarked. But John saw the same worry on his face that he knew was on his own. Both of them had already thought about it and had visited the worst possible scenario in their minds.

"So whatever had shut the gate down had been from Atlantis' side?" John continued.

"Apparently," Rodney replied and at the civil tone and lack of comment John could gauge the depth of his friend's worry. Scowling at the scientist – not out of a real urge to do so, but knowing the expression would distract Rodney – John carefully, calmly replied:

"I'm sure they managed to shut down the stargate before the ZPM's had been depleted." He gestured at Rodney. "You yourself said they had at least another half an hour before they could manage that," he tried assuring his friend by using his own vanity. It failed miserably, judging by Rodney's expression.

With only a nod, Rodney returned to his tablet and John wandered off to stand where the main entrance had been only a few minutes ago. In their desperate fight to keep from being pulverised, they had not noticed the stargate shutting down. Now they could not help but worry that the reason it had shut down was because Atlantis had run out of power. And they all knew the consequences of such an eventuality. Eager now to dial home, Rodney was working on trying to solve the mystery of the weather device.

Because John had not been able to recover his weapon, he was now only armed with his knife. It was a very impressive knife, but still only a knife. Yet he was willing to do his duty defending the stargate with only the inadequate weapon, if need be.

He had hardly thought it when he heard the unmistakable sound of running. Behind him he felt the rest of his team and the mobile Satedans close in as they, too, had heard the sound.

Within moments a figure appeared, running like a rabbit over the rubble. He was just another dirty native, but for some reason six Ministry patrolmen were chasing him.

Eventually he was near enough for John to see he was clutching something in his one hand and instinctively John knew the man had stolen water. The man veered slightly and John saw his new path would bring him right to them. From the corner of his eye John saw the person next to him raise his weapon, knowing he was aiming at the fugitive.

John had but a moment to decide. And in that moment the running man looked up, right at John. Recognition seemed to pass over the man's face. Without looking to see who was next to him, John reached out and lowered the weapon aimed at the fugitive. Even if it meant they would now have to deal with the patrol as well, John could not betray that look of desperate expectation in the man's eyes.

Running just ahead of the patrol, the man finally reached the group standing in the ruins of the chromulus. The ragged man still had his eyes on John and as he drew level with them, John held out his hand; the same hand that had stopped the person next to him from shooting the ragged man. The same moment he heard a victorious cry from Rodney somewhere behind him.

Instinctively the man reached out and placed the container in John's outreached palm; scurrying past to hide behind them. Now, armed with a container of stolen water and a knife, John stood his ground as the patrol fanned out. This time John did not protest at those around him raised their own weapons. In fact, from the crunch of boots to one side, John knew even Rodney had joined them. In a silent stand-off the two groups faced each other: ready to kill over a small container of water.

The silence dragged on for what seemed eternity, but could have been no less than a few seconds. Then, as if in silent reprimand, a single drop of water fell between the two groups. Another heartbeat passed and another drop fell from the dark, dirty sky. From behind those at the entrance to the chromulus the scent of rain blew on a single gust of wind, stirring the dust. Another heartbeat passed.

And then, from clouds that had not brought rain for years, the heavens opened and water poured down on the barren city. At first the rain was dirty and the two groups still stood staring at one another. But after the first few moments the dirt had been washed from the sky and clean rain fell on them and between them.

As the reality of the rain settled on the patrol, they slowly lowered their weapons. Then, as if they do not want to miss a single moment of their delivery, they lifted their dark visors and turned their faces to the sky. The rain fell so hard John could not see what they looked like, only the lighter blur of skin inside the black helmets.

From behind John a hand reached out and, recognising the dirty appendage, John dropped the container into the man's hand. He still did not look away from the patrol, though.

"Thank you," the ragged man whispered before dashing between them and disappearing to one side. Smiling slightly at the thanks, John at first did not notice the pale blue light sparkling from the rain. He noticed when his earpiece crackled and Elizabeth's worried voice spoke in his ear:

 _SGA-1, can you hear me? John, are you okay?_  He tapped his earpiece as he smiled.

"Elizabeth, it's good to hear your voice," he truthfully replied. "I take it the city is still in one piece?" he asked as he finally turned around. Rodney was standing next to the DHD, grinning widely. Teyla and Draven were on either side of Ronon, keeping him upright. Two of the other Satedans were helping their hurt comrade stand while the last three were backing slowly towards the welcoming blue light.

 _We're fine,_  Elizabeth replied.  _Now, don't you think it is time you came home?_  John could hear the relief in her voice as she spoke and he smiled. Yes, it was about time they went home, he agreed.


	14. Chapter 13

The man smiled as he walked home in the pouring rain. After he had dashed around a corner, he had felt the need to once more look back at the people that had saved him – saved his people. Carefully he had crept back and watched as the Ring of the Ancients had suddenly glowed blue. The leader of their world's rescuers had turned and, with a look of happiness to his posture, had stepped through the ring. Right behind him had followed the woman and the man holding up their friend. Then the other group with a wounded friend had followed and finally one by one the final four. They had come to this world and had saved it. Then they had left through the Ring of the Ancients. The man knew that he would not rest until he had told this wondrous tale to the rest of his world.

He was surprised to find himself so soon on familiar ground, but smiled even more. Finally he rounded a corner and was at his small residence. Softly he pushed open the door, relieved to find the entire dwelling was still standing.

The inside smelled of dirt and illness and he left the door open, allowing the clean fresh scent of rain to wash out the fear and the hurt and the hopelessness. Carefully he kneeled beside his daughter. Her breath came like butterfly wings, but at least she still breathed. Almost reverently he opened the container and poured some of the water in a chipped cup. Ever so slowly he lifted his child's head and held the cool water to her lips. Instinctively she drank the water and he nearly cried with relief.

After a few moments he rested her head back on the pillow. Now only time will tell. Never really taking his eyes from his child, he picked up his wash basin and jug and put them outside to gather the rain. This seemed inadequate and he emptied every available container and placed it in a row next to the basin and jug. As he put the last jar outside he lifted his head to rain, feeling the sorrow and worry of the past wash away.

"Daddy?" a soft voice called from inside. Turning he found his daughter's eyes were open, watching him. "Daddy, is it raining?" she asked. He smiled at her.

With joy in his heart he went to sit beside her, offering her another sip of water. "Daddy, is that rain?" she asked once more. Carefully he wiped her hair from her damp face.

"Yes, poppy, it is raining," he told her. She turned eyes big with awe on him.

"It’s magical," she solemnly told him. Once more he wiped her hair from her face.

"Yes, poppy, it’s magical. And one day I'll tell you about the men and woman that brought the rain back to our world," he promised as he held her close to his heart.


	15. Epilogue

Jack O'Neill was actually slightly nervous as he watched the five Atlanteans walk through the stargate. Once he might have thought of them as three humans, a Satadan and an Athosian. But as they walked down the ramp he realised there was something different about them – something he could only define as 'Atlantean.'

Though Doctor Weir walked in the front, he saw that there was no way someone would be able to get to her before her guards got to that someone. Right behind Weir, and to either side, John Sheppard and Ronon Dex walked; their weapons ready. Slightly behind them Teyla Emmagan and Rodney McKay completed the small procession, no less dangerous than Sheppard or Ronon.

Beside Jack his wife, Sam O'Neill – known until recently as General Samantha Carter – stood even straighter. This proved slightly difficult, as this only caused her belly to protrude even more. He grinned at the thought of becoming a dad once more at his age. He was a good fifteen years his wife's senior, but this did not mean for one moment she was allowing him to act superior. Or old, for that matter.

To his other side Daniel Jackson lowered his head behind his hand, hiding a grin. Jack spared a moment to glare at the good doctor, but Daniel ignored him. From the start he had been very good at ignoring Jack.

On Daniel's far side, Jonas Quinn stood openly smiling at the group, though Jack could detect no irony. They were on Quinn's planet, as it was the only other planet that could generate enough energy to send the Atlanteans home afterwards. They had had to bring the earth-gate's crystals, though.

Finally the two groups stood opposite one another. At first Jack thought things would be awkward, but then Elizabeth smiled.

"Jack, it's good to see you," she greeted him and the tension was broken. With smiles all round they greeted one another and Jack introduced Jonas. Elizabeth smiled warmly at the man. "I've read your files," she informed him. "I think earth is missing out on not having you around anymore," she continued. Jonas smiled a bit self-consciously at her praise.

Jack thought the pleasantries were nearly at an end, but then his wife suddenly spoke up:

"How far along are you?" she asked Weir. The other woman smiled.

"About eleven weeks," she replied and Jack had no idea what they were talking about. "And you?" the doctor shot back and Sam smiled prettily.

"Nearly twenty-two weeks," she said and Jack finally realised they were talking pregnancy. Eyeing Weir he could not see any change in her, though. She was dressed in a neat blue dress, her hair long and loose at her back with a number of beads in it. Now, come to think of it, that was one of the things that were different about all of them. With the exception of McKay, everyone wore a string of beads in their hair. Ronon had for some reason cut his dreads, but a single string of beads still gave him an untamed look. He now also noticed McKay was wearing an outfit much like the wild man's. But, getting back to the women, though Weir was dressed differently, she was not showing yet. Unlike his wife, he happily thought.

Finally they pleasantries were finished and Jack informed them of the mysterious call the SGC had received a few months back. As his story ended, he handed a copy of the official report to Weir. She frowned at it. Then she regarded him with her head still slightly lowered.

"And you had to send us an untraceable message, inviting us to a secret planet in order to tell us about a threat that might destroy us," she summed up the report.

He looked at Jonas. "Well, everyone knows about this planet," he began, but he knew she was correct. He stood up straighter, but Daniel interrupted them.

"Look, it's not exactly as if you made many friends in the IOA by stealing Atlantis that way," he told them. Weir's eyes flashed and she frowned at Daniel.

"It was never theirs to begin with," she interrupted. Once more she looked at Jack. "I suppose we can't expect any help from earth?" she needlessly asked.

Jack smiled ruefully. "Not exactly, no," he had to admit. "As far as earth is concerned, you are no longer welcome." Weir nodded once.

"Thank you for your warning," she formally thanked them. Then she looked at Quinn. "Please, dial us home," she commanded.

"But we might need earth's help," Rodney protested, but she held up a hand.

"Perhaps," she conceded. Then she became serious. "All the same, take us away," she continued. "We're dead to the world."

Without another word the small procession turned towards the stargate. Jonas dialled the DHD and the familiar  _whoosh_  of the wormhole forming filled the air. Almost immediately Rodney and Teyla disappeared back through the gate, but Weir, Sheppard and Ronon paused a moment at the edge of the wormhole. As she turned around, Weir reached into a pocket. Quickly she descended the ramp and held out her hand to Jack. When he held his beneath hers, she dropped five bright blue beads in his hand.

"For you and your wife, Daniel, Teal'c and Woolsey," she informed him. She smiled. "It is something our scientists came up with. If ever you want to contact us, these will identify you," she said. Then, without another word, she turned and retraced her steps up the ramp. It occurred to Jack that she looked like nothing as much as a queen returning to her kingdom. He grinned at Sheppard. He had seen the ring Weir wore and guessed that, though she kept her own name, Sheppard was the one that had put the ring there. Thinking of his own spitfire, he shot a grin of understanding at the dark-haired man.

And just before he turned to go through the stargate, Sheppard returned the grin with a cocky one of his own.


End file.
